One by one, you've listed all the records I might have thought of and many more.

Do 'Watermelon Man' by Mongo Santamaria and 'El Watusi' by Ray Barretto count? They feel like they do. 'Grazing in the Grass' by Hugh Masekela is borderline, but I'd include it. Bert Kaempfert's 'African Safari'? Maybe not, but it sounds surprisingly authentic.

There were dozens of hits songs with Mambo in their titles during the mid-fifties (Pete Frame lists them all in The Restless Generation) but apart from Perez Prado's 'Mambo #5' I'm not sure if any qualify as they were mostly (all?) done by pop artists.

'Maria Elena' by Los Indios Tabajaras, Brazilian instrumental, top 5 in the UK in 1963

Neil Foxlee wrote:Suggestions for a (virtual) compilation of World music before world music?ie African, Latin &c UK/US pop hits before the concept of world music emerged. Eg Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata, Hugh Masakela's Grazing In The Grass, Peanut Vendor ... well, that's three for starters, but there must be many more

Sorry, I've just seen that you had Grazing in the Grass in this opening salvo, and I repeated it in my last post.

Maybe you could avoid such repetition (and Rob Hall's wrath) by listing what we've got so far.

Why only make it a virtual compilation, Neil? You could collate everything here and submit it to Steve Bunyan at Union Square Music.

On a different tack, I wonder if any British record label is planning to meet the ever-growing Polish population in this country by providing them (and us) with a compilation of the best Polish music around, pop, folk, jazz - it could sound great.

Thanks Charlie.
"Los Paraguayos is a music group consisting of musicians from Paraguay. Since its foundation in the 1950's, the group has featured many singers and musicians, playing guitars, bongo drums and a Paraguayan harp. The group performs many South American and Mexican tunes and songs, including classics, such as Guantanamera, El CÃ³ndor Pasa and La Bamba." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Paraguayos- which took me to:

"El CÃ³ndor Pasa is a song from the zarzuela El CÃ³ndor Pasa by the Peruvian composer Daniel AlomÃ­a Robles written in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes. It is possibly the best-known Peruvian song worldwide" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_C%C3%B3 ... %28song%29

and:

"La Bamba" is a traditional song created in the Mexican state of Veracruz over 300 years ago. Influenced by Spanish flamenco and Afro-Mexican beats, the song uses the violin, jaranas, guitar, and harp, and is sung in falsetto. Lyrics to the song greatly vary, as performers often improvise verses while performing. However, versions (such as those by musical groups Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan and Los Pregoneros del Puerto) have survived due to the artists' popularity and have become the "definitive" versions. The traditional aspect of "La Bamba" lies in the tune itself, which remains the same through all versions. The name of the dance, which has no direct English translation, is presumably connected with the Spanish verb bambolear, meaning "to shake"." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Bamba_%28song%29

- hence the Gipsy Kings' "Bamboleo", no doubt: "I am shaking", though perhaps one can't rule out the possibility that "bambolear" has the same slang connotations as the French "branler"...

Why only make it a virtual compilation, Neil? You could collate everything here and submit it to Steve Bunyan at Union Square Music.

Well, I had thought this might be a possibility, but was waiting for some sign of interest/encouragement - I know from experience how difficult it can be to get projects like this off the ground.

What's needed now (apart from a round-up of potential tracks) is a snappy title - The Roots of World Music? Suggestions please (and if by any chance this does get off the ground, I'd hope to be able to credit all contributions).

Wasn't Burundi Beat by the drummers of Burundi a chart hit following the success of Adam & The Ants / Bow Wow Wow? Around the same time Double Dutch by Malcolm McLaren a South African township jive troubled the charts and Abele Dance by Manu Dibango was popular in the soul clubs even if it didn't get in the top 40.

Then around 83/84 Hot Hot Hot by Arrow and Lorraine by Explainer although I'm not convinced either actually made the chart.

Ali wrote:Wasn't Burundi Beat by the drummers of Burundi a chart hit following the success of Adam & The Ants / Bow Wow Wow? Around the same time Double Dutch by Malcolm McLaren a South African township jive troubled the charts and Abele Dance by Manu Dibango was popular in the soul clubs even if it didn't get in the top 40.

Then around 83/84 Hot Hot Hot by Arrow and Lorraine by Explainer although I'm not convinced either actually made the chart.

I'm pretty certain Lorraine didn't, but Hot Hot Hot might have. From a similar period, how about Lambada by...who was it that made the top 40 in the '80s with a version of that?

Che Che Cole what a great track! Antibalas the NY Afrobeat band did a decent version of it a couple of years back. This reminds me of 2 other contenders, Set Fire To Me by Willlie Colon and Jingo by Candido.

Has there been no mention of hits from Brazil yet? "Girl From Ipanema" and "Summer Samba (So Nice)" would seem to qualify, others can probably think of more.

Also, the Spanish folk tune "La Cucaracha" has been recorded by many people (including Charlie Parker according to Wikipedia) but I'm not sure that anyone had a hit with it so maybe it doesn't qualify.

Late addition:
I think someone mentioned Osibisa, who had two UK hits: Sunshine Day and Dance The Body Music, both in 1976. Anybody know and care to comment on these?

Looking at the Chart Geography section of my old Guinness Book of Hit Singles (1993 ed.), I see that there were 11 artists from South Africa, 3 from Guyana (Eddy Grant being one), 8 from Greece, 1 from Sri Lanka, 3 from Kenya, Rest of the World (inc. Latin America) 40, but Jamaica 70, proving my earlier point about it being a special case.

Neil Foxlee wrote:Late addition:I think someone mentioned Osibisa, who had two UK hits: Sunshine Day and Dance The Body Music, both in 1976. Anybody know and care to comment on these?

I thought of Osibisa, but didn't think those records were 'rooted' enough, ie superficially they sound like they could have been made by a UK or US disco act. It has been a while since I've heard them though, so I stand to be corrected.